ELDRED — Port Allegany knew that its pitching staff would be among the area’s best.
After a second consecutive no-hitter, however, the Gators are finding out just how strong their arms can be. After Ty Guilds no-hit Oswayo Valley on Monday, Drew Evens and Sawyer Prince combined to no-hit Otto-Eldred in a 3-1 victory Wednesday.
Prince, who celebrated his birthday by picking up the win on the mound, threw five lights-out innings of relief against the Terrors. Max Splain countered with a gutsy effort on the mound for O-E, but a 7th-inning Port rally — powered by a bunt and a blast — gave Prince all the offense he would need.
“This was a good win to have,” Port coach Josh McNeil said. “I tip my hat to O-E — Splain threw one heck of a game and kept us off-balance with his pitches. A great effort from both sides tonight and we were able to come out on top, so we couldn’t be happier.”
Evens started on the mound for Port, throwing two innings before his pitch count climbed into the 50s. Evens was effectively wild, striking out five while walking four, before Prince relieved him in the third.
The left-handed senior struck out 11 batters, allowing just three baserunners along the way. With a powerful fastball and a sharp hook, Prince retired the final 10 batters he faced, striking out six of them.
“The goal was to have both guys throw about 50 pitches, which Drew ended up having (after two innings),” McNeil said. “Luckily, it worked out on our favor. Sawyer threw a little more than that, but we need to worry about the league. Combined, they did a great job.”
O-E’s lone run came in the fourth, when Manning Splain stole second after a leadoff walk. Wade Daniels reached on an infield error, allowing Splain to score and tie the game.
Port had taken a brief lead in the top of the third after AJ Wiley drew a leadoff walk. Wiley stole second, then Evens followed with a n RBI single.
Guilds sparked Port’s 7th-inning rally by reaching on an error before Payton Spencer moved him to second with a textbook sacrifice bunt. Henry Troupe, who had come off the bench when Port changed pitchers, then drove a ball into the gap between center field and right, taking O-E’s outfielders on a trip to the fence.
The Terrors’ relay would have beat Guilds to the plate, but wasn’t completed cleanly, allowing the senior to score.
“We’re just trying to get guys into scoring position, and my hat is off to (Troupe), a sophomore,” McNeil said. “He’s getting some varsity time this year, and came up clutch with a huge hit that drove in the winning run.”
With Troupe on second base, back-to-back walks by Wiley and Evens set up Prince for an RBI single that padded his own lead. Prince closed the bottom of the frame with a called third strike, bringing an appropriate ending to a dominant performance.
“He’s been working his tail off all year, going to (Penn State at) Behrend and getting ready for college baseball,” McNeil said. “He’s stepped his game up a notch this year and he really, really wants to win the league. He was feeling pretty good.”
Wiley drew three walks and scored a run for Port, while Evens added two walks in addition to his RBI single. Prince finished 2-for-4 at the plate, adding a stolen base.
“We had some good at-bats,” O-E coach Lance Baker said. “We need to get the bat off our shoulder in some at-bats — good things happen when you put the ball in play, and we struggled to do that tonight. Their 1-2 punch may be the best in the league, so being in the ballgame where we were is all I can ask for.”
Manning Splain drew three walks and stole three bases for O-E. Max Splain finished with eight strikeouts on the mound, scattering four hits while allowing three walks.
“That’s a heck of an outing for (Splain’s) first time out,” Baker said. “I was going to cap him at 75 pitches, but he was throwing well and said he felt good, and he was in a groove. I can’t be more proud of his effort there.”
Port improved to 2-0, earning another valuable win in the Northern Allegheny League. O-E, meanwhile, fell to 0-1.
“We left seven guys on in the first two innings, then two big errors at the end of the game,” Baker said. “Like I said earlier in the year, we want to be up there with these guys, Smethport and Coudy. This was a good measuring stick for us, knowing we can be there despite how young we are.”
AT ELDRED R H E
